Something Wicked
by sofia313
Summary: "Please… You're my last hope." Elijah looked at the young woman in front of him and crossed his arms. "Then I'm afraid you have no hope."
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

15-years-old Brinley Gardner and her best friend, 16-years-old Jodie Mitchell were both giggling as Jodie stopped her car in front of Brinley's home. They had been talking about boys, as they often did. Not that Brinley had much experience yet, but she liked to listen to her "older and wiser" friend. She had always admired Jodie's outspokenness and determination, Brinley enjoyed spending time with her. They had gone to the movies and grabbed a bite after that. Everything was as it should be; Brinley was in a very good mood.

"Thanks for the ride," she said.

"No problem," Jodie replied. "I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Yeah. Good night."

Brinley was smiling as she walked over to the front door and opened it.

"Mom, I'm home!" she announced.

There was no answer; her mother was probably taking a shower or something. Brinley's brothers were no doubt upstairs in their room, playing some game. She headed to the living room and noticed that the TV was on.

"Darren?" she called.

There was no one in the living room or in the kitchen. Maybe her stepfather wasn't at home yet. She stretched her arms and headed upstairs.

"Mom?" she called as she opened the door to her mother and Darren's bedroom. The lights were on, just like in every other room, but there was no one in the room or in the bathroom. Where was everyone?

"Mom? Cody? Preston?"

She opened the door to her brothers' room, but there was no one there. Something was wrong. She swallowed and tried her best to stay calm. Maybe this was just some kind of a prank. Maybe they were hiding and were planning to scare her. Her brothers could do something like that, but her mom… No, she was acting ridiculously, everything was fine. They had probably gone to a store or something. Suddenly she realized that she could just call them and ask where they were.

"Idiot…" she huffed at herself while picking up her phone.

She heard her mom's phone ringing somewhere in the house, apparently she had forgotten to take it with her. Oh well, Cody and Preston always had their phones with them. She called Cody and heard his phone ringing as well. What… She followed the sound and noticed that it was coming from her room.

Now she knew that something was wrong and her brains told her to get out of the house right now. Unfortunately her body refused to listen. _Don't open that door, don't open that door, don't open that door…_ She did. What she saw was too horrible to comprehend. The bloody bodies of her mom, brothers and stepfather had been placed neatly on the floor. There were six words written on the wall. They were written with her family's blood.

LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO


	2. No hope

**Chapter 1**

 **No hope**

New Orleans, 4 years later

Elijah stared at the almost melted ice cubes at the bottom of his empty glass. What he needed was another drink. Seventh one to be exact. Not that he was counting; he had earned this after today. Watching the woman he loved to marry another man certainly hadn't been easy. It hadn't mattered that he had known that he had been doing the right thing. The honorable thing.

The thought was nothing but irritating. Why did he always have to be the honorable one? Why couldn't he for just once think about what he wanted? Because that would have been selfish. Hayley had made her choice and he needed to respect it. Jackson was a good man and if he wouldn't have married Hayley, Elijah could have even liked him.

It didn't matter now; he simply needed to once again accept his loss. He had loved other women before Hayley and he would likely love other women after her, no matter how impossible it felt right now. Right now he only wanted to drink until he would forget everything.

"Can I get you another drink, sir?" the waitress asked.

Elijah nodded absentmindedly.

"Yes, make it a double, please."

He hadn't wanted to stay at the compound; he had felt that he needed some time by himself. Thankfully the bar wasn't full and no one had bothered him. He had a small corner table all for himself. Company was the last thing he needed right now. He didn't drink for the sake of getting drunk very often and after few more drinks he was starting to feel a bit tipsy. That was a good start.

"Another double?" the waitress asked.

"Make that two."

Elijah sighed and closed his eyes. Unfortunately the alcohol didn't make him feel any less miserable. He doubted that anything would right now.

"Excuse me?" a female voice said.

Elijah opened his eyes and saw a young woman standing next to his table. She had dark brown eyes, oval face and curly brown hair that looked impossible to tame. She wasn't unpleasant to look at, although the short dress she was wearing didn't really fit her and she didn't seem to be comfortable in it. His guess was that the dress wasn't hers; perhaps she had borrowed it or something. Not that the matter interested him, on the contrary.

"Yes?" Elijah asked carelessly. He didn't bother to hide the fact that he didn't want any company.

She smiled, but it didn't hide her nervousness.

"Is this seat taken?"

"No, but I would like to be alone if you don't mind."

Normally he wouldn't have been so rude, but right now he didn't really care.

"Oh…I…" She hesitated for a moment before continuing. "What if I would buy you a drink?"

Elijah frowned.

"Why would you want to do that?"

"Well, I… I was hoping to have a word with you."

"Have we met?"

She shook her head.

"No, not yet. I'm Brinley. Brin."

"Hmm. And what do you want from me Brinley Brin?"

She bit her bottom lip nervously and glanced at the chair opposite him.

"May I…?"

"Fine," Elijah sighed, hoping that she would understand to leave.

She didn't need to be told twice, she sat down immediately.

"Thank you, I really appreciate this."

"Hmm."

"Here you are," the waitress said as she brought Elijah his next drinks. Then she looked at the girl. "What can I get you?"

"Just water, please," she replied.

"Alright, coming right up."

It wasn't difficult to notice how nervous the girl was, she didn't seem to know what to do with her hands. Finally she put them onto the table and crossed them, like she would have been praying.

"So, you are paying this?" Elijah stated carelessly and touched his glass.

"Yes," she replied quickly.

"Is that what women do these days?"

"I don't know," she murmured.

"Hmm. How old are you?"

"21."

"Somehow I doubt that."

"I have ID…"

"I'm going to guess 18," he cut in carelessly. "Am I close?"

"19. Old enough."

"For what?"

She bit her bottom lip again, looking even more nervous.

"I… I was hoping to make a deal with you."

He raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of a deal?"

"I… The thing is that I have… a problem and I think you could help me."

"And I think you are mistaking me for someone else."

She shook her head.

"No, you're Elijah Mikaelson, right?"

"How do you know my name?"

She hesitated for a moment before replying.

"I've been trying to find you for the last two years."

"Why?"

"Because I really need your help. I'm not asking for charity, I have every intention to repay you." She paused and looked him in the eyes. "I don't own much, but I was hoping that we could negotiate for a different kind of…payment."

For a brief moment Elijah was actually speechless.

"I assume you mean sexual services?"

A flush was rising in her cheeks as she looked down.

"Yeah. And blood."

"What?"

"I have no problem with that, really. Whatever you want…"

"I don't know who you are, but I think I want you to leave."

Her eyes widened.

"No, please, I'm sorry if I offended you; please give me chance to explain…"

"I'm not interested," Elijah cut in coolly. He really wasn't sure why he was so rude, he simply wanted to take his anger out on someone. He had just lost the woman he loved and this girl thought that he was so desperate that he would sleep with anyone. That was all his drunken brains understood right now. Why would he care about her problems?

"Please…" she pleaded."You're my last hope."

Elijah looked at her carelessly and crossed his arms.

"Then I'm afraid you have no hope."

She flinched, like he would have just slapped her. Silently she stood up and walked away. He emptied his glass and stared at the ice cubes. Hopefully he could now concentrate on important things again.


	3. Good company

**Chapter 2**

 **Good company**

Tristan de Martel looked at the screen of his laptop, reading one of the daily reports that had been sent to him. He had a cup of tea in his hand and he was trying his best to concentrate. Unfortunately his work was never done; there were always matters that required his attention.

"Yes?" he stated as someone knocked on the door.

The door opened and Aya entered Tristan's study.

"I have some news," she said. "About the girl."

Tristan tensed and looked at Aya. She immediately had his undivided attention.

"Yes?"

"She has been seen in Louisiana."

"When?"

"Couple of days ago."

Tristan's mind processed the information quickly, as always. Louisiana? What was she doing there? As far as he knew, she had no friends, family or even acquaintances there.

"Have you sent the trackers?" he asked, although the question wasn't really necessary.

"Yes," Aya replied. "The trace is fresh this time, so I believe we'll have some results soon."

"Hmm. Let me know immediately if there's any news."

"Of course."

Tristan couldn't really concentrate on the reports after Aya had left. All he could think about was the girl. It was practically a miracle that she had managed to hide for so long, but he had known the whole time that he would find her sooner or later. No one could hide from him forever, she was about to learn that. Hopefully very soon.

* * *

Elijah had no idea what time it was when he finally left the bar. He was drunk, but not nearly enough. Thankfully there was a minibar in his hotel suite. At least no one would bother him there. He hadn't told his family where he was going, he had only said that he needed some privacy. He most certainly didn't want to be anywhere near the compound right now.

Tonight was Hayley's wedding night. She and Jackson would stay at the compound for now. Of course Hayley wanted to live with Hope and Niklaus had made it clear that his daughter would stay with him. Elijah couldn't really blame his brother for being protective. Hope was everything to Niklaus and for the first time in centuries, he showed unconditional love toward someone.

Of course Elijah was happy for his brother, but he also envied Niklaus. And Jackson. No. Right now he didn't envy anyone and after few more bottles of the finest scotch, he would forget all his worries. The hotel where he was staying wasn't far from the bar so he walked. It was late, but the streets were still crowded, as they usually were. People were celebrating something, Elijah couldn't recall what.

He barely noticed anyone around him; he only wanted to be alone. Maybe by some miracle things would look better in the morning. No, they wouldn't. Drinking and feeling sorry for himself wouldn't change anything, but he believed that he was entitled to do that right now. Absentmindedly he marched across the hotel lobby and headed towards the elevators when something suddenly caught his attention.

"No, no, please," a female voice said. "I…I'm waiting for someone."

"I'm sorry, miss, but I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave."

Elijah turned around and saw the girl who had approached him earlier. What was her name again, Shelby? She looked completely out of place in the elegant lobby and apparently a security guard was just about to throw her out. Some people, who were probably staying at the hotel, were observing the situation. Some of them seemed amused, others more or less repulsed.

"I didn't know they let trash in here," some woman said to her friend. "I heard this was supposed to be a classy place."

"She must be lost," some man said grinning to couple of other men. "Or did someone order a cheap hooker?"

The other men laughed.

"I could try her, but I don't think I want all her diseases."

"Miss, I'll ask you one last time, leave," the security guard stated coolly. "You have already bothered our guests enough; I wouldn't want to call the police…"

"No! No, no, I… I'll leave."

Then she noticed Elijah. The look in her eyes was pleading. Elijah sighed and rolled his eyes before walking over to her and the security guard.

"Good evening, Mr. Mikaelson…" the guard started.

"The lady is my guest," Elijah stated, not bothering to hide his annoyance.

The guard's eyes widened.

"Oh… I apologize, I didn't know." He paused and glanced at the girl. "My apologies, miss."

"That's okay," she murmured.

Elijah turned around and marched towards the elevators without saying anything else. The girl was right behind him, everyone in the lobby was staring at them. He couldn't have cared less about that.

"So," he stated carelessly after they were in the elevator. "What are you doing here?"

She swallowed before replying.

"I… I was hoping you could give me another chance to explain myself. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to cause trouble."

Elijah didn't reply, he was in no mood to deal with anyone else's problems. He probably should have just let the security guard to throw her out. Why hadn't he then? He really wasn't sure. Neither of them said anything as they stepped out of the elevator. Insecurely she followed him to his suite and for some reason he didn't stop her.

"Drink?" he asked carelessly as he marched straight to the minibar.

"Yes, please," she murmured.

He picked up two bottles of scotch and handed her the other one.

"Get yourself a glass if you want," he stated and sat down on the sofa. After a brief hesitation, she joined him. They were both quiet as he concentrated on his bottle.

"What was your name again?" he asked after a long silence.

"Brin."

"Hmm."

They were both quiet again; he really didn't have anything to say. Thankfully she didn't say anything either. It wasn't difficult to tell that she was nervous. Silently she stood up and went to get him another bottle after he had finished the first one. From behind she looked a little bit like Hayley…. How drunk was he? Not that it mattered; he hadn't asked her to come here. Yet she was here. Too bad for her. He most certainly wasn't going to be a pleasant company tonight.


	4. Broken things

**Chapter 3**

 **Broken things**

When Elijah opened his eyes, he was only aware of the pain. His head hurt. How much had he drunk last night? Clearly more than enough. Well, at least he had made it back to his hotel suite. The bedroom was dark and quiet and the bed felt very pleasant. He was lying naked under the covers and he was just about to go back to sleep when he realized that he wasn't alone.

There was a woman lying beside him. Her curly hair was wrapped around his arm and her thigh rested between his. What… Who was this woman? He took a deep, slow breath and looked at her. She was in a deep sleep; her chest was rising and falling slowly as she breathed. Cautiously he moved his hand to touch the side of her face. Her cheek was smooth and warm, sleep-pinked. She looked quite young.

Had he met her in a bar or…? Suddenly he remembered. She had come to him last night, asking for his help. He had no idea why she needed his help; he couldn't recall her telling him that. How had she ended up here, in his bed? For some reason he had brought her to his suite with him. He remembered thinking that she looked a little bit like Hayley. At some point he had kissed her. After that…nothing.

Great. This was just perfect. Damn it… What had he done? He was aware when she first opened her eyes and sighed sleepily. He made no quick movements, trying not to startle her. She blinked her brown eyes few times before she looked at him.

"Good morning," she said smiling. Her smile didn't seem genuine, she looked nervous. What the hell had happened last night?

"Good morning," he replied as calmly as he could.

An awkward silence followed his words, but she still tried bravely to keep the smile on her face.

"Can I get you something to drink?" she asked. "Or do you want a cup of coffee? I can go and get you one…"

"That won't be necessary, thank you," he cut in. "I would like to know what exactly happened last night?"

Her eyes widened.

"Oh, it was the most wonderful night of my life, you were amazing."

Oh no…

"So you and I…?"

"Yeah. "

This couldn't be happening.

"Why?" he asked. "I can't imagine that I would have been very charming last night, why on Earth did you want to sleep with me?"

Her eyes widened again.

"You…you don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

She blinked nervously.

"You agreed to help me and I promised to repay you."

Dear lord, this was just getting worse.

"This wasn't consensual?"

"It was," she assured quickly. "I wanted this. It was great. You were great." She paused and kissed his cheek. "The best night of my life."

Elijah was quiet for a long while; he was desperately trying to gather his thoughts. How had this happened?

"So," he finally managed to say. "What exactly did I agree to do?"

"I… You agreed to let me stay with you and tell the other vampires that I belong to you."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

A flush was rising in her cheeks.

"I've had problems with some other vampires and I really need some help."

"Why did you come to me?"

She hesitated for a brief moment before replying.

"Because you're an Original. Stronger than other vampires."

"How do you know this?"

"I…I had a friend who tried to help me. He was also a vampire and he told me about you."

"Hmm, what happened to him?"

"He died," she replied quietly.

"I'm sorry."

She didn't reply, he could see the pain in her eyes.

"So, basically what you're asking from me is protection?" he stated after a moment of silence.

She nodded.

"Yeah."

"Who are these vampires and why do they want to hurt you?"

She swallowed.

"They… They're old vampires. I don't know what they want from me."

Elijah frowned.

"You don't know?"

"No."

Elijah didn't believe that, but he could see that the girl was really afraid. And apparently quite desperate. He felt guilty for taking advantage of her, even though he couldn't remember anything about it.

"Alright," he stated. "If we made an agreement, I will respect it."

She looked at him cautiously.

"You will?"

"Of course. I'm a man of my word."

"Thank you. Thank you so much, you won't regret this," she assured and handed him her wrist. "Here, please, you must be hungry."

He was, but he wasn't going to feed from her.

"Perhaps later," he replied and got into a sitting position. "I believe I'll call the room service, would you like some breakfast?"

Judging by her growling stomach, she was hungry as well.

"Yeah, that would be great, thank you."

She smiled at him and this time her smile was genuine. She seemed beyond relieved, like a heavy burden would have just been lifted off her shoulders. He was just about to pick up the phone whe he realized something.

"Forgive me, but I have to ask… What was your name?"

"Brinley," she replied. "Most people just call me Brin."

"Alright, it's nice to meet you, Brin."

"You too."

She curled up and smiled sleepily as he got up.

"You can go back to sleep if you're still tired," he stated.

"No, no, I'll get up. I just need a moment…."

She sighed tiredly and fell asleep. He crossed his arms and observed her face. He guessed that it had been a long while since she had been able to sleep peacefully. Apparently she felt that she was safe here. Safe from these "old vampires". Obviously she hadn't told him everything, but right now he was willing to let that slide. She looked nothing but fragile and defenseless lying there. Niklaus had sometimes laughed that Elijah had a thing for broken things. Perhaps that was true. All he knew was that he was going to help this girl.


	5. Decency

**Chapter 4**

 **Decency**

 _4 years ago_

 _"So, how about Chase?" Jodie asked. "He's cute."_

 _"Yeah, I guess so," Brinley replied and turned her eyes to her tea. It tasted just as good as always; this was her favorite coffee shop. What she didn't like was this conversation; an involuntary blush was rising in her cheeks. Jodie was determined to help Brinley to find a boyfriend and there was no better place to meet boys than Jessica Nolan's party this weekend. Sure Brinley liked talking about boys with Jodie, but talking to them was another matter. She didn't think that she would be able to get a word out without starting to stutter. She really was pathetic._

 _"I'm not sure if I can come anyway," she muttered._

 _Jodie rolled her eyes._

 _"You can't miss this party, everyone's gonna be there!_

 _"I know, but my mom…"_

 _"She's overprotective," Jodie huffed. "You're 15, not 5!"_

 _Brinley didn't say anything; she didn't want to talk about her past. There was a reason why her mom was so protective of her. She had been very young when her mom had met Darren, but she remembered what their life had been like before that. They had lived in some cheap motels or in a car. Her mom had done everything she could to take care of her, but Brinley remembered the nights she had heard her mother crying._

 _Darren was a good man; he had always treated Brinley like she would be his own daughter, even after Cody and Preston had been born. Of course Darren loved his sons very much, but he had never treated Brinley worse than them._

 _"Okay," Jodie continued. "How about you try to talk to your mom again? We're still going to the movies tomorrow, right?"_

 _"Yeah."_

 _"Good. I'll be right back."_

 _She stood up and headed to the restroom. Brinley sighed and concentrated on her tea. She doubted that her mom would change her mind. Maybe she should still…_

 _"Hello, Brinley," a female voice suddenly said._

 _She looked up and saw a beautiful redhead who had sat at the table opposite her. Brinley frowned; she couldn't remember meeting this woman._

 _"Hi. I'm sorry, have we met?"_

 _"No," the redhead replied smiling. "I'm Aurora."_

 _"Okay. Is there something I can help you with?"_

 _"Actually yes." The redhead paused and leaned forward. "I would like you to kill yourself."_

 _Brinley's eyes widened._

 _"What?" she gasped disbelievingly._

 _The redhead was still smiling._

 _"Yes, you see, I have a little problem here. I promised my brother not to touch you and I'm not going to break that promise, so I need you to do this yourself. You'll be very sorry if you won't."_

 _Brinley stood up; she needed to get away from this creep. Or maybe the woman was a loony or a junky, Brinley didn't know or care._

 _"Fine, your choice," the redhead hummed. "Don't tell me that I didn't warn you."_

 _Brinley hurried to the restroom and bumped into Jodie who was just coming out._

 _"Hey, what's the matter?" Jodie asked._

 _"There's some creep…" Brinley started and turned to look at their table. The redhead was gone; there was no sign of her. Brinley couldn't help but shiver._

 _"Hey," Jodie said and touched her shoulder. "What happened?"_

 _Brinley shook her head._

 _"Nothing really. Some crazy woman said some creepy things, that's all."_

 _"Oh, you just forget it. There's all kind of creeps out there."_

 _"Yeah," Brinley murmured._

 _She was embarrassed now by her reaction. Jodie was right; there were all kind of creeps out there. She should just forget the whole thing._

* * *

Brinley sat at the table, eating the best breakfast she has ever had. She was wearing Elijah's white dress shirt and she tried her best to look sexy and seductive. Just like Nial had taught. He had explained to her what men liked and how she could keep them happy. Not that she had been a very good student, she wasn't confident enough, but at least she had succeeded so far. Elijah Mikaelson had agreed to help her. Not that she deserved anyone's help… No, she couldn't think about that now. Giving up wasn't an option. She needed to fight, no matter how much she hated herself. This wasn't about her.

"So," she said smiling. "Aren't you hungry?"

Elijah was sitting on the sofa; he had a glass of scotch in his hand.

"Not really," he replied. "It seems that you are."

Oh great, had she eaten like a pig? Nial had often warned her about that. It didn't matter how hungry she was, gobbling wasn't attractive. She smiled and crossed her legs.

"A little," she admitted shyly and blinked her eyes. None of that came natural to her, but Nial had been a good teacher. A good friend. She would have never made it without him.

"When was the last time you ate?"

"Yesterday."

Or day before that, she wasn't really sure. She had finally managed to find Elijah Mikaelson, that had been all that had mattered to her. Slowly she stood up and walked over to the sofa, moving her hips seductively with every step she took. Elijah didn't say anything as she sat in the center of his lap.

"Thank you," she hummed and touched his cheek. "I don't know how I can ever repay you…"

"Alright," he stated calmly. "You can stop that."

She swallowed; what had she done wrong?

"Stop what?"

He sighed and gently lifted her on the sofa beside him.

"About what happened last night," he started. "I don't normally act like that. I don't take advantage of women."

"No, no!" she assured quickly. "You didn't, I wanted it. It was the most amazing…"

"It's alright," he cut in. "I understand how badly you needed my help and I apologize the way I acted, but I can assure you that I have no intention to touch you again."

"Please," she pleaded desperately. "Please give me a chance, I promise I won't let you down…"

"No, no, you misunderstood me. I'm going to help you, but you don't have to give me anything in return."

She looked at him cautiously, why would he do anything for her for free? Nothing was free, she had learned that much.

"You wanted me to make it clear to everyone that you're mine, correct?"

"Yeah," she murmured.

He nodded.

"Alright, from now on you'll be my new girlfriend then. How does that sound?"

"Good," she managed to say. "But… Why would you do that, if…"

"I like to think that I still have some decency left," he replied.

Decency… That was a word she hadn't heard for a very long time. Could he really mean that? Would he help her without asking anything in return? She doubted that, but it didn't really matter. The most important thing was that he had agreed to help her. Hopefully Nial had been right about him.


End file.
